1000 Doors: In Review

This being the new year, and in the spirit of “new year, new me.” I have decided to endeavour to have a little more culture in my life, as a sort of resolution. So when the opportunity to experience 1000 Doors, an exploratory installation created by Christian Wagstaff and Keith Courtney, I jumped at the chance, and it was certainly a unique experience.

In essence 1000 Doors is an elaborate maze, displaying a what feels like a suburban home, full of corridors, and various rooms, using a variety of visual and audio set pieces, in an effort to elicit emotions and allow the imagination to run wild.

Imagination is a key charm of this piece, 1000 Doors presents the rooms, the fixtures and the fittings and says “what do you think you’re doing?.” While successfully immersing you to the extent you are willing to allow imagination to take hold.

For me it felt like an aftermath of something that happened years passed as the fixtures were old, and the walls showed sign of age and decay. But the beauty of this installation is that, while this be my interpretation, it is not the be all end all, it’s all down to how you feel.

Feel is an important part of 1000 Doors, a concept that lends itself well to suspense, and 1000 Doors is very suspenseful, you never know what’s through the next door! The visuals and sounds enhanced this feeling of suspense, setting a somewhat creepy tone, at some point I felt like I was in a thriller.

But this wasn’t a movie, and this wasn’t a video game, this was a real and tangible experience, At some points, I had that feeling you experience right before a jump scare, all while being in the moment, a real experience.

1000 Doors is affordable, and appropriate for all ages, situated in the heart of auckland city. You don’t even have to be super cultured, as this could well be your gateway (pardon the pun) into art. Keen to check out something a little different this summer? Check it out.